Utah Launches New Website For Electric Vehicle Owners
On December 2, the Governor’s Office of Energy Development for Utah announced the launch of the website www.utahdriveselectric.org aimed at aiding current electric vehicle owners by providing up-to-date information on the increasingly popular technology, as well as educating citizens about the many benefits of electric vehicles.
The site will also explain how technological advances have brought a variety of vehicles to the market while also facilitating the expansion of charging infrastructure statewide, said Jeffrey Barrett, a spokesman for the office.
The website will serve as a "one-stop shop" for information regarding electric vehicles, featuring an interactive charging station map, facts and figures about the benefits of the technology, a buyers’ guide with facts on Utah-available electric vehicles, and a savings calculator that provides information on fuel cost savings, emissions reduction, and post-incentive vehicle cost, Barrett said.
This year, the department partnered with Nissan, the Utah Clean Air Partnership and other stakeholders to deploy the first publicly available high-voltage charging stations along the Wasatch Front. Next year, the department will join with Utah Valley University and the Utah Clean Air Partnership to install four new charging stations in Orem.
The office will collaborate to expand the deployment of these important technologies, Barrett said. The site is meant to facilitate the private investments that will be truly essential to the diversification of Utah’s transportation sector, he added.
The agency hopes the site will become a community tool powered by community interest and input.